


A Happy New Year with You

by pekorosu



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Canon - Manga, Established Relationship, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-01
Updated: 2021-01-01
Packaged: 2021-03-11 02:53:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28464138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pekorosu/pseuds/pekorosu
Summary: "You want to go to Times Square? Today? OnNew Year's Eve?" Ash asks incredulously.English translation ofきみとのHappy New Yearby 小葉.
Relationships: Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 4
Kudos: 32





	A Happy New Year with You

**Author's Note:**

  * A translation of [きみとのHappy New Year](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/735942) by 小葉. 



> Permission received from the author to translate and post on AO3. Please do not repost or redistribute elsewhere without permission. 
> 
> The original story was posted on January 9, 2017.

**December 31, 10:13 a.m.**

"You want to go to Times Square? Today? On _New Year's Eve_?" Ash asks incredulously around a mouthful of the breakfast Eiji had prepared, after finally waking up. He glances up from the newspaper.

"What next? Please don't tell me you're going to ask for a kiss at midnight like a tacky tourist," he adds, waving a fork at Eiji.

"I didn't even think of that," Eiji answers blankly. "What, do _you_ want a kiss at midnight?"

Ash spurts out the coffee he'd been drinking, dissolving into a fit of coughs.

"Ugh, what a mess," Eiji mutters, passing the tissue box to Ash before resuming. "Look, I’ve lived in New York for over 10 years but I’ve never seen the ball drop before. I just thought it'd be nice to see it in person, at least once, you know?"

"That place is a tourist trap, man. You're not going to find a single New Yorker there."

"Then I'll be that single New Yorker today."

"You're insane. It's gonna be sub-zero out there tonight!"

"I've been taking photos in this city for so long. I'm used to the weather."

"You gotta get there real early, like, _right now_ , if you wanna get a good spot," Ash warns, before holding both hands up in protest. "No way I'm gonna do that. Gimme a break."

"I know. So I'm going," Eiji declares, adding after a beat, "Alone, I mean."

"Huh?" Ash blurts, his brain apparently still stuck mid-boot. Eiji turns to face him after standing up, hoisting a large, black camera bag over his shoulder.

"I'll probably be back after midnight. See ya!"

"Wha—?" Ash blurts again, going stock-still with a forkful of sausage in hand.

Reality comes crashing back to him just as Eiji has closed his fingers around the doorknob. "Wait wait _wait_! STOP!" Ash yells frantically at him. 

They end up leaving the apartment together at half past ten that morning.

**December 31, 3:45 p.m.**

Using the press pass that Eiji managed to obtain as a favor from his publisher, they make it past the bag checks and all the way to the main venue with nary a hiccup. At this point, they've already been standing around for a few hours.

"It's freezing," Ash grumbles.

"Yeah, it's cold, isn't it?"

"Fucking cold as fuck."

"Yup."

"I'm bored."

"Ash!" Eiji snaps. "I didn’t ask you to come! You can go home if you want."

"It's too late. They've set up barricades everywhere. I’m starving..."

Eiji sighs and rummages through his bag, pulling out a saran-wrapped sandwich and a flask containing warm coffee.

"Wait, you brought food and you've been hiding it? What gives?"

"I planned to come alone so it's not a lot," Eiji says, splitting the sandwich into two and handing one half over to Ash. The coffee is poured into the cover that doubles as a cup and shared between them. 

"Oh hey, it’s PB&J," Ash says after taking a bite. "Yum. You've got great taste in sandwiches. Gotta say, nothing beats this stuff."

Eiji just stares wordlessly at his own half of the sandwich, the quintessentially American sandwich that he made with his very own hands.

"Something wrong?" Ash asks.

"No, I just—" Eiji shakes his head. "When I first came to America, I was shocked with this sandwich. Peanut butter and jam, together? Yuck! So American! That's what I thought. But then..."

"But then?"

"I made PB&J even though I planned to come alone today."

Ash laughs. "Welcome to the dark side, buddy. Feeling ashamed of yourself?"

"Not ashamed, but I was just thinking, people do change, huh? Anyway, all these calories are so unhealthy... I guess my belly will be growing again."

"Growing is something you should be doing though."

"But I've been slacking on exercise lately."

"I meant your looks, Peter Pan. You really need to grow up and look your age."

"Hmph, at least I'm not as old as that joke. It’s been years now, when are you going to stop?"

"If only I was joking," Ash sighs. After all, when Eiji was presenting his press pass at a security checkpoint earlier, a cop had eyed him suspiciously, saying, "I'm having a hard time believing you didn't steal this, kid."

Their frivolous banter carries on for what seems like an eternity, in an attempt to distract from the frigid weather.

**December 31, 6:00 p.m.**

The much-anticipated New Year's Eve live special has kicked off on the main stage with a star-studded cast of musicians. The crowd swells with excitement, moving along to the deafening music blasting through the speakers.

Deep within the sea of people, Eiji switches the lens on his camera before calling out to Ash while looking through the viewfinder, shouting so that he doesn't get drowned out by all the noise.

"ASH! THEY'RE GIVING OUT HATS! WHY DON'T YOU WEAR ONE!"

Just as mentioned, a few staff members are walking around passing out freebies like yellow and purple top hats emblazoned with the words HAPPY NEW YEAR, as well as long, colorful balloons. 

"FUCK NO!" Ash shouts back over the din of the crowd. 

Eiji chuckles. "JUST ONCE! I WANNA SEE YOU WEAR THAT TALL HAT!"

Ash scowls.

"AND WAVE THAT LONG BALLOON!"

Ash scowls harder.

"AND SHOUT 'HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! WOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!'" Eiji bursts into laughter at his own mental image.

Ash continues to scowl wordlessly, bemused.

"Wish I could get a picture of that and show it to Alex and the others. It would be so hilarious," Eiji mumbles to himself, but Ash appears to have heard him.

"Eiji," he warns in a low voice.

Still holding onto the camera, Eiji shrugs.

**December 31, 11:59 p.m.**

"...FIVE! FOUR! THREE! TWO! ONE!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!" someone shrieks at the top of their lungs.

The crowd follows suit, bursting into cheers and applause. All around them, people are exchanging well wishes, hugs and of course, kisses as well—all with great enthusiasm. Just like every other year, this famed location comes alive, overflowing with vibrance, joy and energy from the people gathered here to celebrate one of the most iconic New Year's event in the world.

At the same time the countdown hits zero, fireworks erupt above them and confetti start to rain down from out of nowhere, triggering another cascade of whooping and cheering.

The speakers in the main venue where famous musicians had been performing earlier are now playing a line-up of familiar songs named after the city.

The crowd begins to sing along.

"New York! New Yooork!"

"This is _nuts_ ," Ash mutters sourly amidst the chaos of celebratory hugs and raucous laughter, shoulders hunched and hands jammed deep into the pockets of his coat to stave off the cold. He shakes his head at the insanity of it all, his platinum blonde hair standing out just as brilliantly as the bright lights and screens surrounding them. Next to him, Eiji remains preoccupied with his camera, snapping away at the festivities.

"Why?" he asks, eyes still glued to the viewfinder. "Everyone's having fun. Isn't that nice?"

" _Eiji_. Are you done? Can we go now?"

" _Ash_. Now is best time for photos. Just a bit more, okay?" He crouches a little and points his lens upward.

"So pretty," he whispers. "Like magic."

The scene displayed through his viewfinder is that of Times Square in all its neon-lit glory, backlighting the crowd and making their silhouette pop right out to the unending shower of multicolored confetti—a sight so magical it looks almost unreal. Eiji clicks down on the shutter countless times.

Nevertheless, crowds are still crowds, and the one around him is as boisterous as ever. His lens keeps getting shaken up by people jostling into him, resulting in one blurry photo after another.

Just then, a group of revelers begin to tumble his way, waving their balloons in time with their jolly singing. Ash gently cuts in to form a barrier before they could reach him, and in effect, diverts them into another direction. 

For a brief moment, Ash turns his attention to Eiji, staring at him as he continues to click away obliviously. 

Then he looks up, gazing quietly at the flurry of colors raining down on them.

**January 1, 12:58 a.m.**

"I guess it's time to go home. Shall we?"

"Finally. Has the magic worn off at last?"

They turn their backs on Times Square.

Within the span of that hour, Eiji had captured countless pictures of people amidst their merrymaking: a white couple locked in a deep embrace, smooching away; an elderly black couple swaying lazily to a slow ballad; a group of chummy young women in matching caps and top hats, who later explained that they were tourists from China... Each time, Eiji would approach them and casually ask if he could take their picture, leaving Ash in awe of his easy spontaneity.

"You're really something, you know that?"

"When you've spent so many years taking candid photos on the streets, you can sort of tell who'll be okay with it and who won't," Eiji replies while walking straight up to a stranger gleefully rolling around in a mountain—truly a mountain in all senses of the word—of streamers and confetti on the road.

"Hi! Can I take a picture?"

“Sure dude, go crazy!”

Snap!

And as they keep walking, they start to encounter less and less people, until they are soon traversing streets that have died down into a peaceful silence.

"Sure is cold tonight," Eiji says with a shiver, puffing warm breaths into his palms.

Unlike Ash who spent all day with his hands stuffed in his pockets, Eiji had his out in the open, gripping onto the camera and exposed to the mind-numbing chill the whole time. Now his fingers are practically icicles.

Just then, Ash reaches out to him, taking the large camera bag from his right shoulder and hoisting it over his own. With the bag no longer between them, they naturally drift closer to each other to fill the gap.

"Ash?"

He proceeds to take Eiji’s right hand into his left, sliding them both into his coat pocket. Eiji looks at him, wide-eyed, but Ash keeps up his quiet strides, gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Eiji smiles. "Thanks," he whispers.

"Oh yeah, I haven’t wished you yet, have I?" he adds after a pause. "Happy New Year, Ash."

Ash turns to him, lips quirking up in a smirk.

"Wah!" Eiji yelps as Ash suddenly takes their hands out of his pocket and yanks him closer, tipping him forward. He then lifts Eiji’s chin lightly with his unoccupied hand, leaning in to press their lips together.

"Happy New Year, Eiji," he murmurs while pulling back slowly, staring at Eiji with a mischievous twinkle in his eyes, looking like a child who just got away with a prank.

Eiji stares right back at his rascal of a boyfriend and asks, "Isn't this what 'tacky tourists' do?"

"Ha," snorts Ash. "We've already accomplished more than those amateurs, like getting to Times Square at ass o' clock to wait in line, watching all the crappy stage shows, counting down with the crowd..."

"Right," Eiji chuckles. "And now we've got the whole experience."

Ash slips their entwined hands into his pocket once more. And with that, the two of them set off on the road back home to their apartment.

**Author's Note:**

> Ash actually doesn't swear at all in the original but I get the feeling that ActuallyEnglishSpeaking!Ash would be quite potty-mouthed when annoyed, haha.
> 
> Also, I've decided not to introduce any weirdness in Eiji's speech patterns this time (okay, maybe just a sprinkle?). He already sounds perfectly fluent in Garden of Light and he’s (probably) older in this fic, so I'm just going to keep it consistent with canon.
> 
> Disclaimer: Neither the author nor I are Americans, nor have we been to New York, so sorry if a couple of details are off. But hey, it's fictional NYC. /shrugs
> 
> Anyway, thanks for reading and have a Happy New Year! I really hope 2021 will be kinder to us all.


End file.
